Tiger Thief (15 page)

A
s Vasuki swayed before him, Sharat’s mind was in turmoil. What if he
was
the Prince of Jinnis? Was this why Lemo had always been so secretive about his mother? Maybe it even explained why Pias hated him so much. And of course there was Emira. All the clues were there. But still he wasn’t sure.

“I just wish I could find some kind of proof,” he said.

Aya looked thoughtful. “What about my mother’s rhyme,” she said. “
Earthbound, breathled, firefound and watermet, brought to his fate by tiger white
… You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Emira.”

Sharat felt his heart wrench. Emira. It was true, he wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her. And the Queen had been quite clear. Emira was
his
.

“But what about the rest of the rhyme?” he said.

Aya looked thoughtful. “Well, we got stuck underground,” she said. “That sounds a bit like earthbound. And then you fell into the pool, which could mean watermet…”

With a dawning realisation, Sharat remembered the rest of his journey. It was a breath of air that had led him towards this cavern. And he supposed that the light of the roots could count as fire.

“It does all fit…” he said slowly. “But if I’m the Prince of Jinnis, why didn’t the Queen of the Forest just
tell
me? Surely she must have known.”

Vasuki’s heads swayed. “Some magical sssecrets cannot be revealed in words,” said the pale serpent. “In order to awaken your powers, it was necessary for you to journey into this world of magic and discover for yourself.”

“But I don’t
have
any powers,” said Sharat.

The pale head swayed as it let out a long, drawn-out hiss.

“Patience!” he hissed. “If you are half human, your jinni ssside will not emerge until you come of age.”

Sharat frowned. “What do you mean?”

“To use your powers, you must first grow to be a man,” Vasuki told him. “The pool was showing you your future.”

“My future?” said Sharat in dismay. “But I need to get Emira back now!”

The serpent’s tongues flickered. Then the dark head
swayed forward.

“It’s not usually our job to offer advice,” she hissed. “However, allow us to remind you that time is cyclical, and ssspace, like sssound and matter, is only a question of vibration.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Sharat.

“She means that, given the right circumstances, any magical being can be sssummoned back from the future and forward from the past,” the pale serpent replied.

Aya interrupted. “Are you saying Sharat can wake his jinni side early?” she said.

“Exactly,” hissed both heads together.

“But how?” asked Sharat.

“In the sssame way that you would sssummon any powerful being,” the pale head told him. “With his name.”

Aya took a sharp breath. “That’s in my mother’s rhyme as well!” she said. “
Called by name from death to life
.”

Sharat frowned. “But people have been calling my name all my life,” he said. “It’s never woken any powers before.”

“That’s only your human name,” said the pale serpent. “What we’re talking about is your
jinni
name.”

“What’s that?” asked Sharat.

“Every jinni has his true name, given to him by his mother,” explained the snake. “It is this that you must discover if you wish to be able to use your powers.”

Sharat felt his heart sink. “But my mother is dead,” he pointed out.

“Then you must ssseek another jinni who knows what
it is,” Vasuki told him.

“But all the jinnis are in the mines,” said Aya.

Vasuki’s heads swung to look at her. Their eyes glittered. “So it would ssseeem!” they hissed.

All the excitement Sharat had been feeling was draining out of him. All he wanted to do was find Emira, but it seemed his quest would never end. He looked around. The cavern was gradually darkening. “But how are we going to get to the mines?” he asked.

“My sssister and I can take you and your friend wherever you want to go,” offered the pale head. “If you prefer, we can even take you back to the circus.”

At the mention of the circus, Sharat felt a terrible pang of homesickness. He knew he couldn’t give up now, but perhaps he should give Aya a chance. He glanced over at her. “You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to,” he said.

Aya had a stubborn look on her face. “I’m not leaving you
now
,” she said. “I want to make sure you finish off Doctor Rookh.”

Taking a deep breath, Sharat turned back to Vasuki.

“All right, then,” he said. “Take us to the mines.”

With grins of delight the serpents reared up, growing to monstrous size.

“With pleasure!” they hissed.

As Sharat and Aya watched in horror, the snakes’ mouths began to open wider and wider… And then they struck.

In the blink of an eye, Sharat saw the pale head
swallow Aya alive, but before he could make a sound, the dark serpent shot towards him and everything went black. Round and round he spun in a dizzying spiral, until finally he was rudely ejected out the other end and Aya was deposited next to him.

Breathlessly he crawled to his knees as the serpents disappeared through a crack in the rock.

Mohini was sitting at her dressing table as she watched the scene in the crystal cavern unfold in the mirror before her. With a wave of her hand the image disappeared, but her heart still fluttered with excitement. So, the
circus brat
was the Prince of Jinnis.

As she sat back in her chair it all came back to her. The old witch smuggling the child out of the city. And yet Mohini had forgotten that he’d ever been born…

She couldn’t help feeling admiration. The Queen’s magic was strong. But now the Queen’s spell was broken and he’d found his way here, just as she’d hoped he would.

A smile of amusement twisted her lips.

“Brought to his fate by tiger white,” she whispered.

Pushing back the chair she stood up and threw on her cloak. Everything was going to plan, but there was no time to waste. Quickly she strode towards the door. The Prince of Jinnis would be here soon, and when he arrived she needed to be ready for him.

F
eeling breathless, Sharat and Aya staggered to their feet.

Still underground, they were trapped on a narrow stone ledge at the edge of a huge cavern that utterly dwarfed Vasuki’s crystal cave. Lapping at their feet was a murky lake that flickered with flames as bubbles of gas broke the surface. At the centre of the lake was an island of dark rock that rose almost vertically out of the water to tower far above them. Spindly bridges connected the top of the island to the cavern walls.

Sharat noticed that the walls were pocketed with holes and criss-crossed with pulleys and ladders.

“Those must be the mines,” he breathed.

Aya stared out across the water. A bubble of gas broke
the surface and burnt out with a flare. An acrid smell hung heavy in the air.

“Never mind the mines,” she whispered. “Someone’s coming.”

Trapped on the ledge, they watched helplessly as a golden canoe with a reptilian prow detached itself from the base of the island and cut through the fiery surface of the water towards them. At the helm stood a lady in red, her long black hair hanging down her back. As she brought the canoe to a standstill, the crocodile’s head turned to look at them with winking, ruby eyes.

Aya gasped, but Sharat didn’t notice. He was staring at the woman, his face fierce with recognition.

“Mohini!” he said.

Mohini bowed her head.

“Sharat,” she replied. Her eyes glittered with triumph. “At last!”

Then, to Sharat’s surprise, she turned to look at Aya. “Well, well, well,” she said. “Look who else the cat dragged in.”

Sharat flashed a startled look at Aya. “Do you know her?” he asked.

“Of course I know her,” said Aya, her face rigid. “She lived with us in the
Zenana
.”

“I didn’t just live with you,” said the woman reproachfully. “I used to look after you.”

Aya’s eyes showed a mixture of anger and pain. “You betrayed my mother,” she said. “If it wasn’t for you she’d still be alive.”

Mohini reached out to caress the girl’s face. “Dear little Aya,” she murmured. “How can you say that? Your mother was like a sister to me. I did
everything
I could to help her, but she just wouldn’t listen.”

Aya pulled away in disgust and turned to Sharat.

“How do
you
know her?” she asked.

There was a scowl on his face. “This is the enchantress I told you about,” he said. “The one that lured the circus to the city and helped steal Emira.”

Angrily, he turned to Mohini. “Where is she?” he demanded. “What have you done with her?”

To his surprise Mohini’s eyes filled with tears. “Please, don’t be angry with me, Sharat,” she said. “I
had
to steal Emira. It was my only way of finding
you
.”

Sharat was taken aback. “What are you talking about?” he said. “I was with you at the circus.”

“Yes,” said Mohini, “but I didn’t know who you
were
at the circus.”

Sharat began to feel uneasy. “What do you mean, who I am?”

Mohini smiled. “Surely you must know by now,” she said. “If you’ve made it to the shores of this lake there’s only one person you can be.” She leaned forward. “
Earthbound, breathled, firefound and watermet
… You’re the Prince of Jinnis.”

As he caught a waft of her perfume, Sharat’s heart skipped a beat. Mohini
knew
!

Just then, Aya broke in.

“Why would
you
be looking for the Prince of Jinnis?”
she demanded, eyeing Mohini with suspicion.

A look of triumph crossed Mohini’s face. “That’s easy,” she said. “The Prince of Jinnis is my
son
.”

Sharat took a sharp breath. “Your
son
?” he gasped. He was so shocked that he forgot to keep his secret. “But how can I be your son?” he said, staring up at Mohini in disbelief.

Mohini’s eyes glittered as she leaned down towards him. “Haven’t you guessed yet?” she said. “I’m a jinni too.”

Sharat’s head spun as her scent enveloped him. He stepped back. “But I thought my mother was dead,” he said.

Mohini shook her head. “That’s just what I wanted you to think,” she said. “When I made Uma smuggle you and Emira out of the city, I had to make sure that nobody knew who you were, so that Rookh wouldn’t find you, but I always knew that one day your tiger would lead you home to free us all.”

As Mohini spoke Sharat felt a strange mixture of emotions. Smuggled out of the city … that was exactly what Uma had told him had happened. Then something occurred to him. “But if you’re my mother, why didn’t Lemo tell me?” he said.

A smug look crossed Mohini’s face. “Lemo didn’t know,” she said. “They don’t call me the mistress of illusion for nothing.”

Feeling dizzy, Sharat stared at the enchantress. Everything made sense, but was it really true? Could she
really be his
mother
? As he took in another breath of her perfume he felt a shiver of excitement, but Aya wasn’t convinced.

“If you’re Sharat’s mother then what’s his jinni name?” she snapped.

Mohini glanced at her. “I’m afraid I can’t say,” she said. “If I wake Sharat’s jinni side too soon, Rookh will be able to enslave him, just like he enslaved me. Then none of us will ever escape.” She leaned closer. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want that, would you?” she breathed, with a hint of threat in her voice.

Aya pressed her lips together, unable to reply.

Sharat was looking at Mohini in a daze. The more he thought about her story, the more he wanted to believe it, but there was still something bothering him.

“How am I going to free Emira, if I don’t have any magical powers?” he asked.

Mohini shook her head. “Don’t worry,” she told him. “I’ll take you to Emira. Then, once you’ve been reunited, I’ll wake your jinni side and we can all escape to Aruanda together.”

Aruanda! Sharat’s heart leapt as he remembered the magical forest of his dream. “Will we be freeing the Queen of the Forest as well?” he asked.

There was a moment’s hesitation, then a brilliant smile lit Mohini’s face. “Of course we’re going to free the Queen of the Forest,” she said. “We’ll free all the jinnis and
you’ll
be their prince.” She squeezed his hand. “Won’t that be wonderful?” she whispered as
she drew him close.

This time Sharat felt a thrill as he inhaled her perfume. Gazing up at her in wonder, he nodded. Everything was starting to make sense. Of
course
Mohini was his mother. How else would she know so much about him?

“What do we have to do?” he asked.

“Emira is Rookh’s prisoner,” Mohini told him. “To get her back you’re going to have to come with me to his workshop.”

Despite his foggy head Sharat felt alarmed. “Can’t you bring her to us with magic?” he asked.

Mohini shook her head. “You don’t seem to understand,” she said. “I’m Rookh’s
slave
. I can’t use my magic unless he gives me permission. All I can do is trick him.” Eyes shining, she leaned forward. “We can trick him
together
,” she whispered, “but you’re going to have to be very brave.”

Suddenly, all Sharat wanted to do was to prove himself to her, but before he could reply Aya interrupted again.

“Don’t trust her, Sharat!” she said.

For some reason Sharat found himself getting annoyed. “Why not?” he asked.

“This is
Mohini
,” Aya reminded him. “What if she’s working for Doctor Rookh?”

Mohini looked down at her in scorn. “Why would I ally myself with Rookh?” she said. “I’m a
jinni
. I hate him as much as you do.”

Aya shivered. She didn’t know what to think. All she knew was that something didn’t fit.

Sharat was hardly listening. All he cared about now was finding Emira. Still, he was nagged by a sense of guilt. He glanced back up at Mohini. “Can’t we let Aya go?” he asked. “After all, this has nothing to do with her.”

Mohini shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but the only way back to the surface is through the mines.” She indicated the canoe with a graceful hand. “I’m afraid you’re
both
going to have to come with me.”

The reptile at the prow watched them through
half-closed
eyes. With a lazy movement it stretched out a scaly forearm for them to climb on board.

Sharat and Aya’s eyes met. Sharat saw resistance.

“Come on,” he said. “It will be all right, you’ll see.” He tried to smile. “It’s what we both wanted,” he reminded her. “We’ll get Emira back
and
we’ll free the jinnis.”

For a moment Aya held his gaze, then she glanced up at Mohini. “I hope you’re right,” she said tightly.

Refusing his outstretched hand, she stepped on to the boat while Sharat followed her in silence.

Mohini stood waiting at the prow. Once they were both seated she lifted her hand and the canoe moved smoothly away from the shore.

As they crossed the lake, Sharat’s heart felt like it would burst with impatience. At
last
he was going to rescue Emira! He couldn’t wait to see her again. And then there was the prospect of being a jinni. For a moment he felt butterflies in his stomach as he wondered what it would feel like to have magical powers. He was just imagining how he would take revenge on Pias and Ram
when his thoughts were interrupted by a gentle bump. They had reached the island, and now that they were up close he could see that a steep staircase had been carved in a dizzying spiral around its towering sides.

With graceful movements, Mohini led them ashore as the canoe slowly sank below the surface of the water, leaving only a trail of bubbles in its wake.

“Follow me,” she said, climbing the black steps, her blood-red cloak trailing behind her.

The climb seemed endless. Echoing nearby, they heard a chip, chip, chipping noise, like pickaxes hitting rock, while silent figures swarmed in and out of crevices in the cavern walls. As they reached the top, they saw that the surface of the island was as flat and smooth as glass. At the centre burned a roaring fire manned by demons with pitchforks.

Just then, a procession of white-robed figures crossed one of the spindly bridges that joined the island to the walls of the cavern.

Sharat took a sharp breath. “Ghuls!” he said.

“Don’t worry about them,” said Mohini. “They won’t hurt you if you’re with me.”

Sure enough, the ghuls didn’t even glance up as they shuffled past. All they did was open their skeletal hands to drop the jewels they had gathered on to an ever-growing pile of treasure.

“That’s what will happen to you if you’re not careful,” Mohini warned them in a low voice.

“What do you mean?” asked Sharat.

“The ghuls were all jinnis once,” she said. “Before they were enslaved by Doctor Rookh.”

Sharat looked at her in surprise. “Ghuls are
jinnis
?”

“That’s right,” said Mohini.

“Why aren’t you a ghul, then?” demanded Aya.

“I’m not a ghul because I’m not trapped in the mines,” said Mohini. “Jinnis only turn into ghuls if they’re kept out of the sun.
I
live in the
Zenana
.”

Just then one of the ghuls staggered and fell to the ground. As it did so, a pair of cackling demons hurried over with their pitchforks and tossed its still-moving body into the fire. As it was engulfed by the flames, its mouth opened in a silent scream.

Aya took a sharp breath, but before she could protest, Mohini was already striding ahead.

“Come on!” she told them. “We’re almost there.”

They hurried around the edge of the ebony island on to one of the bridges, and crossed over into a corridor in the cavern wall. A house-marshal with a wide,
toad-like
mouth glared out from the centre of a heavy wooden door. As they approached, it bared its fangs threateningly.

“Whaddya want?” it snarled.

“Let us in!” snapped Mohini. “I’m on the master’s business.”

The house-marshal clamped its flabby jaws shut and the door swung open to reveal a dark, womb-like room lined in red.

“Quickly!” said Mohini, putting her hand on Sharat’s back. “Your tiger is through here.”

Heart pounding, Sharat hurried in, closely followed by Aya.

For a moment they looked around in confusion. There was another door at the back of the room, but apart from that it seemed to be empty. Just then, Sharat got a prickling feeling in the back of his neck as if something wasn’t quite right.

“Where’s Emira?” he asked, turning to Mohini with a frown.

“All will be revealed,” she replied, but there was a strange look on her face.

“Sharat, let’s get out of here!” said Aya sharply.

But it was too late. As the door swung shut behind them, Mohini’s hand swept through the air.

In an instant Sharat and Aya realised that the room wasn’t empty at all. Horrified, they watched as Doctor Rookh materialised in front of them, flanked by two of his demons.

They started back, desperate to escape, but before they could turn, Mohini’s hands landed on their shoulders like claws.

Her eyes were shining with triumph as she looked up at Doctor Rookh.

“Here he is, master,” she said. “The Prince of Jinnis, just as I promised.”

Sharat spun around to stare at her in confusion. “How could you?” he gasped in disbelief. “You’re my
mother
.”

Then his heart sank as he saw the look on her face. All at once he realised how she had played him for a fool. He
caught Aya’s eye.

“I’m so sorry,” he breathed.

Aya barely nodded. Her face was set in a mask of fear.

As Rookh stepped forward his eyes flicked contemptuously across Aya and landed on Sharat.

“Surely you know better than to believe a
jinni
,” he said. “How could Mohini be your mother? You’re the Prince of Jinnis. Your mother is the Queen of the Forest.”

Sharat stared at him. “The Queen of the Forest?” he asked.

“But of course,” said Rookh. His lips twisted in disdain. “She thought that by hiding you she could escape me, but now she’ll never get away, and neither will you.” With a gesture he pointed, and they saw the Queen’s urn standing right behind them.